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AN INVESTIGATION of EARTHSHINE LIGHTING CONDITIONS for LUNAR-SURFACE OPERATIONS by Robert L. Jones Manned Spacecraft Center Hous

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AN INVESTIGATION of EARTHSHINE LIGHTING CONDITIONS for LUNAR-SURFACE OPERATIONS by Robert L. Jones Manned Spacecraft Center Hous a AN INVESTIGATION OF EARTHSHINE LIGHTING CONDITIONS FOR LUNAR-SURFACE OPERATIONS By Robert L. Jones Manned Spacecraft Center Houston, Texas NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION ABSTRACT The results and conclusions derived from an evaluation of the lighting conditions produced by earth- shine on the lunar surface are presented in this paper. The operations were conducted to determine the suit- ability of earthshine for lunar-nighttime operations, and although the results are subjective and limited in quantity, they indicate that earthshine is adequate for lunar- surface operations under the conditions which are specified and outlined in this study and evaluation. ii AN INVESTIGATION OF EARTHSHINE LIGHTING CONDITIONS FOR LUNAR-SURFACE OPERATIONS By Robert L. Jones Manned Spacecraft Center SUMMARY Early Apollo missions are restricted by the necessity for good crew visibility during descent to landing sites near the sunrise terminator. For early Apollo mis- sions, this site selection is also advantageous because it provides up to 14 days of sunlight conditions for lunar-surface operations. For post- Apollo missions, the re- striction may not be necessary or optimum. Under this relaxed constraint, lunar- surface activities may extend into the lunar night when the surface is illuminated by earthshine. An evaluation of earthshine was conducted to determine its suitability for lunar-nighttime operations. Although the results obtained are subjective and limited in quantity, the results indicate that under certain conditions earthshine is adequate for lunar- surface operations. INTRODUCTION Present Apollo mission requirements stipulate that the lunar landing is to be made in sunlight within 7 to 20 of the sunrise terminator. The range of sun angles was chosen to afford high surface contrast for good crew visibility- during the final ap- proach and descent phases of the landing. The sunrise terminator was chosen because it placed the sun directly behind the spacecraft during the landing without requiring a dogleg maneuver to avoid visual impairment caused by glare. A landing near the sun- rise terminator also assured sunlight during the lunar- surface operations. In addition, most of the descent from 80 nautical miles to 50 000 feet in altitude would also occur in sunlight, and, for short lunar-surface staytimes (such as 1-1/2 days), most of the ascent would occur over the unilluminated side of the moon. For early Apollo mis- sions to near-equatorial lunar-landing sites, this choice of conditions is most advan- tageous. For post-Apollo missions, this choice of conditions may not be necessary or op- timum. Nonequatorial sites on the moon, highly inclined orbits, and dogleg maneuvers for landings may be operationally acceptable. Under one or more of these relaxed constraints, landings on the moon near the sunset terminator (in sunlight) may be equally as acceptable as landings near the sunrise terminator. Also, extended stay- times and the high- thermal loads associated with sun-illuminated operations may make operations in unilluminated areas necessary and desirable. Certain scientific experi- ments, such as those related to astronomy, may require operations in the absence of sunlight. For these reasons, it would appear to be desirable that the gathering of data be started immediately for the determination of the necessary conditions for acceptable lighting on the lunar surface which would be congenial for operations performed in areas not illuminated by the sun. Another source of illumination on the moon is the earth. The face of the moon visible from earth may be wholly or partially illuminated either directly by the sun or indirectly by sunlight reflected by the earth. This latter condition, which is called B earthshine, is analogous to moonlight on earth, Because of the higher albedo and the greater size of the earth, earthshine is more intense on the moon than moonlight is on the earth. Because of this fact, earthshine may produce sufficient light for lunar oper- ,/ ations in areas not illuminated by the sun. This paper is a report on a preliminary investigation to determine if earthshine would provide adequate lighting for lunar- surface operations and to determine the con- ditions in which adequate lighting would exist. The first portion of the investigation involves a limited subjective evaluation to determine the acceptability of simulated earthshine lighting for lunar operations. The last portion of the investigation is con- cerned with the application of the evaluation results to the problem of assessing the suitability of earthshine for lunar-surface operations and with the definition of the period during the so-called lunar night when suitable lighting would exist at a given landing site. EARTHSHINE INTENSITY AND ITS PHYSICAL PROPERTIES The intensity of earthshine at 0" phase angle is almost two orders of magnitude greater than moonlight on earth. The large difference is caused by the greater size and higher albedo of the earth. The projected area of the earth is about 16 times that of the moon, while its albedo, which is determined largely by the meteorological con- ditions of the earth, is about four times that of the moon. The albedo values of the earth vary from a minimum of 32 percent during the period from July to September to a maximum of 52 percent during the periods from March to June and from October to November, with the average albedo being 40 percent (ref. 1). The earth, as seen from the moon, undergoes phase variations similar to those of the moon, but in an opposite manner. For example, when the moon is one-fourth full, the earth, as seen from the moon, will appear to be three-fourths full. The var- iation of earthshine intensity with phase, as reported in reference 1, is shown in fig- L ure 1. To give a visual conception of the maximum intensity of earthshine upon the moon, one may compare it to the intensity of moonlight on earth. When the moon is 2 full and at the zenith, its intensity at the surface of the earth is 0.023 X lmkm (ref. 2); when the earth is full in the lunar sky, the intensity of its illumination on the 2 lunar surface, as given in reference 1, is 1.34 X lm/cm or 58 times greater than full moonlight on the earth. Unlike the moon, the albedo of which is nearly independent of wavelength, the earth albedo decreases with increasing wavelength giving earthshine a bluish color. 2 Measurements of the color index of the earth have shown that earthshine reaches its maximum color shift when its intensity is maximum. The effect of earthshine color upon astronaut visibility was not considered in this study. EVALUATION OF EARTHSHINE FOR LUNAR-SURFACE OPERATION A limited subjective investigation of the acceptability of only earthshine for lunar operations was carried out in daylight utilizing neutral-density filters to simulate earthshine conditions. The solar-intensity values used for determining the simulated earthshine intensities are given in figure 2, and the filter-density values used are as follows. Filter number Percent of transmission 0.002 .004 .008 .023 .036 The lunar-surface simulation located at MSC was used as a test-bed. Although the surface, in appearance and light-scattering characteristics, did not closely match that which was photographed by the Surveyors, the surface was sufficiently rough (fig. 3) to provide conservative evaluation results. The albedo of the simulation varied from 5 percent in the dark regions to 25 percent in the lighter areas, closely matching albedo values which would be found on the moon. In evaluating the acceptability of earthshine for lunar operations, two test sub- jects, dressed in street clothes, were employed. Each subject was provided with goggles and a set of neutral-density filters simulating a range of earth-phase intensi- ties. After 5 minutes of adaptation time to a simulated earthshine condition, the test subjects were instructed to walk around on the test-bed and to make comments on the adequacy of the earthshine intensity simulated. The adequacy of the simulated earth- shine conditions was based on two criteria evaluated subjectively by each test subject: (1) the ability to traverse the most difficult of the terrains with a sense of confidence, and (2) the capability of distinguishing the relief of distant features such as craters. After each filter test, each test subject indicated whether the earthshine simulated was good, marginal, or bad. It was assumed that an auxiliary light would be used to illuminate shadowed areas. Because of time and weather limitations, only two earthshine-evaluation tests were conducted. At the time of the first evaluation, the solar elevation was 70". When lunar librations are neglected, the elevation angle of the earth in the lunar sky i,s equal to the arc distance y from the lunar mean libration point, where y, in terms of lunar longitude h and latitude p, is given by y = cos-'(cos h cos p). Therefore, the re- sults of this test corresponded to the lighting conditions existing at a landing site on the moon located 20" arc distance from the mean libration point on the moon. The results 3 indicate that, for a landing site located at this position, the lighting conditions are good when the illumination level is 0.91 X lm /2cm but are marginal when the illumina- 2 tion level is 0.44 X lmkm . At the marginal illumination level, the test subjects were just able to distinguish the size and relative position of surface relief such as rocks near their feet. The relief of distant features, such as craters, was distinguish- able. At a simulated earthshine illumination level of 0.22 X lom3lm /2 cm , the test sub- jects indicated that the lighting was bad. Also, under this lighting condition, they were unsure of their ability to traverse the more difficult portions of the simulation without a stumbling, and the relief of distant features could not be clearly distinguished.
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